No building, no matter its construction material, is immune to the effects of time and weather. Exterior brick walls are just as susceptible to damage despite their sturdy construction and should be examined for visible signs of damage routinely. Brick wall repair can be preventative or curative, depending on what stage in which your masonry contractor is called to the scene.
Not all signs of brick wall damage appear concerning, even when they are. If your building is being affected by any of the damage symptoms below, it’s time to call in a brick mason to address, diagnose and rectify the problem.
Bulging or Concave Bricks
Sometimes, water getting behind the bricks can cause them to expand outward (bulging) or become concave, jutting inward. The excess moisture causes this by softening the supportive materials behind the brick, which allows the brick itself to shift undesirably. This kind of damage can occur after winter, when ice and snow can cause excessive accumulation of water in, on or around your brick structures.
A brick wall mason will remove the bricks that have been affected by this penetrative moisture, replace the ones that have been removed, and assess/repair the damage that has been sustained by the outer wall.
Efflorescence
When water seeps into the brick material, salt can collect and crystallize if there isn’t adequate drainage. As this occurs, a flaky white appearance may take form on any side of the brick. This is called efflorescence. Leaking pipes are a common culprit behind this problem, which a brick wall repair specialist will be able to identify and diagnose.
Damaged or Missing Mortar Joints
Mortar joints are not designed to be as sturdy as the brick itself, meaning that repairs every 10-15 years is typically recommended. These joints break and wear down over time as a natural part of their process, but they should be repaired when you see that the damage or loss has taken place. Leaving the mortar joints missing or allowing them to become further damaged can cause moisture issues with the brick, which can become expensive and quite extensive to repair down the line.
Compacted Bricks
If one or more bricks appear to be compacted in the wall, this is an issue that can allow excess moisture to wreak havoc on the structure itself. This issue is not typically isolated to just one brick, either, as the pressure causing it to bow and bend is likely to impact the bricks located around it. A brick wall repair contractor will be able to identify, remove and replace the effected bricks. They can also tell you what appears to be causing the problem in the first place.
Call in the Brick Wall Repair Experts to Fix These Problems
If you address these problems early on, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and headache by acting quickly. A brick wall repair contractor will be able to identify the causes of your problems, repair the damage done, and often can repair whatever was causing the damage in the first place. Don’t let these problems slide just because they don’t seem to be affecting the building now. Unseen damage can lead to a heap of problems that you don’t want to be saddled with later on.
